“It’ll come into sight soon,” Eicewald added confidently.
“It’s there, and we’ll find it,” the Captain said. “At least we won’t see pirates again, they don’t venture into these waters. Ships tend to vanish in this area. It has a bad reputation.”
“That doesn’t sound very encouraging,” said Lasgol.
“Don’t worry, seamen speak of an area that’s cursed, enchanted, but actually it’s an area prone to heavy storms, nothing more than that. The rest is hearsay, fear and superstition. There’s nothing supernatural about it. I’m telling you this to put your minds at rest, because the crew must already be telling you ghost stories about the waters we’re coming into.”
“Yeah, we’ve heard some already … about giant sea monsters … huge whirlpools in the middle of the sea that swallow ships … deadly storms with a thousand lightning bolts, and so on …”
Olsen waved dismissively. “Nonsense. Don’t you believe anything they tell you. Sailors tend to be superstitious and very much afraid of the unknown.”
“Like most Norghanians,” Eicewald added, although he was probably thinking about magic.
“Even more so, but you shouldn’t believe them. Now take it easy, we’ll soon see our destination.”
Lasgol nodded respectfully and went back to his friends. When he told them everything that had been said, they seemed to relax. Over the following days they received many congratulations and expressions of gratitude from the sailors, in particular from the wounded whose lives they had saved. The six friends took it gracefully, making light of the whole thing. The sailors, like their captain, knew that the Rangers had saved them from falling into the hands of the pirates, and some of them expressed their thanks very effusively. This charmed Nilsa, although Ingrid less so.
Viggo and Gerd went on practicing close combat. The giant was improving with every lesson, although Viggo never acknowledged the fact to him. Astrid was also helping Ingrid and Nilsa in that area, so their time was fully occupied. Lasgol sat down and practiced communicating with Ona and Camu at different distances in the ship, as if it were a game.
The following day, Camu decided to practice ‘making Ona vanish’ when she was next to him and he himself was camouflaged, which surprised Lasgol pleasantly. He decided to challenge Camu to see whether he could manage to put his skills into practice faster this way, or strengthen them.
Happy about making Ona disappear?
Very, his little friend transmitted, along with a feeling of happiness.
Let’s see if you can make me vanish.
I can, Camu said confidently, even though he had never done it before.
I don’t think so. In fact, I doubt it. A human is very different from an animal. You won’t be able to.
Yes I can, he replied stubbornly.
Try it.
The creature came to stand beside Lasgol, who sat down beside the dragon-head at the bow. Lasgol could not see him, but he reached out and touched him. As usual, he was surprised by how cold he was. He gave him a few encouraging pats, and his friend began to try and reproduce the skill, this time with Lasgol himself as the object. He could not manage it. He spent the whole afternoon trying, without success, and by dinnertime, exhausted, he was reluctantly forced to give up. He slept all night to recharge his energy, and the following day they tried again, with no more success than before. Lasgol encouraged Camu to keep trying, although without much hope of success. Some skills had restrictions which even they themselves did not know.
For a whole week they went on trying. Every night before going to bed Lasgol told Camu that he would succeed the following day. Finally, after ten days of fruitless attempts, he concluded that it would be best to stop trying. He tried to persuade Camu, who refused to give up.
I do it, he transmitted stubbornly.
Camu … you’ve been at it for days without rest. I don’t think it’s possible just now. Perhaps further ahead.
Ona moaned, to show that she agreed with Lasgol that it might be better to leave it for the time being.
Get some rest. We’ll try again later on, Lasgol transmitted. He got up and together with Ona, went to where Viggo was chatting with Nilsa. He was showing her the pirate captain’s weapons, which from Nilsa’s expression and gestures obviously interested her. Lasgol joined in the conversation, and Ona lay down beside them. They handed him the sword and he studied it carefully. It was extraordinarily fine.
“By all the stormy heavens!” Viggo cried suddenly.
Lasgol and Nilsa looked at each other in puzzlement, and Ona started in surprise.
“What is it?” Nilsa asked in alarm.
Viggo put his hands to his eyes and rubbed them. “Either I’m going crazy, or else I’m getting sunstroke, or what the heck is going on here?”
“I don’t follow,” said Nilsa. “What d’you mean?”
“The big guy … something’s wrong with him.”
Nilsa and Lasgol looked to where Gerd was having a quiet nap, lying on the deck with his back to the gunwale.
“What’s the matter?” Lasgol asked. “He’s just taking a nap.”
“I’d swear he wasn’t there a moment ago.”
Nilsa giggled. “I don’t think he’s moved in a good while, judging by his snoring.”
“I’m serious. He was there and then he wasn’t. It was super-weird.”
“Have you been at the Nocean wine again?”
“I wish, but unfortunately there’s not a single drop of alcohol left on the whole ship. Believe me, I searched long and hard.”
“It must’ve been some odd optical effect,” Lasgol said. He did not think it was very important.
“Yeah … I must’ve seen wrong … even though my sight’s excellent, and so is my perception. Anyway …”
The three friends went on chatting about the weapons and how much gold they might get for them. Nilsa did not want him
